James advises on all aspects of pensions law for a range of trustee and employer clients.
James advises both trustees and employers of UK defined benefit and defined contribution schemes on a range of issues, including closure to future accrual, automatic enrolment, benefit redesign, scheme mergers, as well as liability management and restructuring of pension arrangements (buy-ins, buy-outs and bulk transfers to master trusts). James also has experience in drafting all forms of scheme documentation.
Experience
Advising the trustees of a major UK property investment firm’s defined benefit scheme on the buy-in (£130m) of deferred and pensioner liabilities with a major insurer.
Advising the trustees of an internationally leading paints and coating manufacturer’s defined benefit scheme on their de-risking strategy for the scheme, including its journey plan towards securing buy-in of the scheme’s liabilities.
Advising one of the largest international video hosting services around salary sacrifice issues concerning its UK group personal pension plan.
Advising the trustees of a multinational air transport and IT communication’s providers defined benefit scheme on all day-to-day trustee support queries, including in relation to a benefit rectification project.
Advising a former senior executive of an internationally leading IT services firm in relation to a historical unregistered employer financed retirement benefits scheme, including the pensions implications of the annual allowance and former lifetime allowance.
Endorsements
Member of Association of Pension Lawyers (APL) and APL Communications Sub-Committee.
Volunteer adviser to The Pensions Ombudsman.
Testimonials
The staff we are engaged with (Justin McGilloway and James Newcome) are always responsive, friendly and professional.
Legal 500, 2025
James Newcome has been an excellent partner with us during the whole process. He offered timely advice at each step.
Legal 500, 2025
James Newcome and Justin McGilloway performed exceptionally well and were a pleasure to work with.
Legal 500, 2025
James's insights
News
Oct 19, 2026
Wedlake Bell advises on the sale of Scottish building services consultancy group
Hulley & Kirkwood is a long-established building services consultancy founded in 1953, employing approximately 122 people across seven offices in the UK, with a particularly strong presence in Scotland. The business specialises in mechanical, electrical and public health (MEP) engineering
DB surplus major flexibilities: the new regime takes shape
At its simplest, a pension scheme surplus means that the scheme has more assets than it expects to need to pay members’ benefits. However, the existence and size of any surplus depends on the funding basis used. A scheme may
However, the growing use of AI in the pensions industry also raises significant risks. Legal questions rarely turn on a single provision in a scheme’s governing documentation or an isolated piece of legislation. Issues will often depend on complex interactions
